May 21, 2023
You know what? I have never loved Hadestown. I’ve listened to the album many times, I have watched the CBS performance of Wait For Me (Reprise) many MANY times, I saw the national tour in Denver, but I could never latch onto the hype.
I understood the hype after seeing this performance. It was beautiful! I had a beautiful experience.
I think that the staging on the tour does an injustice to the show (not out of any creative deficiencies, just because of necessity in touring houses), and that the turntable+elevator platforms contribute a lot to the story’s overall effectiveness.
I forget who I saw as Eurydice this performance, but I do remember worrying for her vocal folds a little bit.
I don’t claim to be the genius who could make even a cynic care about the plot twist that everyone knows is coming, I don’t know how it could ever be done effectively. However, I have never once been moved to care when Orpheus turns around. I think all of you who are sitting in the audience gasping every time are lying. I think there’s gotta be a better way to stage that. I don’t know what it is! But I think there’s gotta be one.
Did I cry: Yes
Photo from Broadway Direct, no credit listed
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